The US team started the day leading 14½-7½ and the result never looked in doubt after Mickelson shrugged off a bogey at the first to move five up with a birdie on the 12th before closing out victory on the 14th.

"It was important for us as a team to get off to a good start because we didn't want to lose momentum," said Mickelson after picking up his team's first point.

Verplank then beat Sabbatini on the 17th before O'Hern missed a curling 25-foot putt on the 14th to end his match with Cink and hand the Cup to America for the fifth time in seven outings.

Cink said the US triumph was a statement by a group that has lost five of the past six Ryder Cups.

Maybe we should play practice rounds together at tour stops and start getting our pairings together

South Africa's Ernie Els

"We came into this week with a little score to settle in the international arena and we showed everybody that we can play," he said.

"And I'm happy to be the one to clinch the Cup."

Ernie Els won the first point for the Internationals and Angel Cabrera, Adam Scott, Geoff Ogilvy, KJ Choi and Retief Goosen recorded narrow victories as they refused to capitulate.

But International captain Gary Player marvelled at how his side, with nine of the world's top 18 golfers, had been so well beaten over the weekend.

"Europe are beating America in the Ryder Cup like a drum," Player said.

Nicklaus (left) shares a joke with Gary Player on the first tee

"I just look at it and then I look at our team and I say we've got a much better team than Europe on paper, but that little ball doesn't know a thing about paper.

"You can come up with all kinds of theories, but there are no excuses, the Americans have just played better."

Els believes the Americans hold an advantage because of their Ryder Cup series with Europe.

The South African said: "They do these things a lot more often. We only do it once every two years.

"Maybe we should play practice rounds together at tour stops and start getting our pairings together.

"We're world class players and when you throw players with other players you think it's going to work, obviously it has not this week."